Rutherford County, North Carolina Population 2024

66,069

Rutherford County, North Carolina's estimated 2024 population is 66,069 with a growth rate of 0.86% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data. Rutherford County, North Carolina is the 44th largest county in North Carolina. The 2010 population was 67,739 and has seen a growth of -2.47% since that time.

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202968,8795620.82%
202868,3175620.83%
202767,7555620.84%
202667,1935620.84%
202566,6315620.85%
202466,0695620.86%
202365,5075620.87%
202264,9453290.51%
202164,6161300.2%
202064,486-2,545-3.8%
201967,0313100.46%
201866,7211630.24%
201766,5582400.36%
201666,318-90-0.14%
201566,408-179-0.27%
201466,587-279-0.42%
201366,866-361-0.54%
201267,227-197-0.29%
201167,424-315-0.47%
201067,73900%
199056,9183,1315.82%
198053,7876,45013.63%
197047,3372,2464.98%
196045,091-1,265-2.73%
195046,3567791.71%
194045,5775,12512.67%
193040,4529,02628.72%
192031,4263,04110.71%
191028,3853,28413.08%
190025,1016,33133.73%
189018,7703,57223.5%
188015,1982,07715.83%
187013,1211,54813.38%
186011,573-1,977-14.59%
185013,550-5,652-29.43%
184019,2021,6459.37%
183017,5572,20614.37%
182015,3512,14916.28%
181013,2022,44922.78%
180010,7532,94537.72%
17907,808-61,071-88.66%
2024 Growth Rate
0.86% (562)
County Website
Rutherford County
2020 Population
64,486
Area
565 mi²
Density
117 people/mi²
Growth Since 2020
2.45% (1,583)
Founded
1779

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White53,80182.96%
Black or African American5,2408.08%
Two or more races3,6275.59%
Other race1,6562.55%
Asian3420.53%
Native American1530.24%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander310.05%

White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Other race

Asian

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Rutherford County, North Carolina Population by Race

Rutherford County, North Carolina Population Pyramid 2024

Rutherford County, North Carolina Median Age

45.3

Total

44.1

Male

46.6

Female

Rutherford County, North Carolina Adults

There are 51,712 adults, (14,334 of whom are seniors) in Rutherford County, North Carolina.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Age Dependency

73.5

Age Dependency Ratio

38.3

Old Age Dependency Ratio

35.1

Child Dependency Ratio

Rutherford County, North Carolina Sex Ratio

Female33,31651.37%
Male31,53448.63%

Rutherford County, North Carolina Population by Age

Rutherford County, North Carolina Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All26,5892.3974.125.9
Married12,2132.9687.912.1
Non Family9,5871.1965.634.4
Female3,2593.350.849.2
Male1,5303.4166.133.9

2.97

Average Family Size

2.39

Average Household Size

74.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Rutherford County, North Carolina Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade4,2459.02%
Associates Degree5,50811.7%
Bachelors Degree6,26513.31%
Graduate Degree3,4707.37%
High School Graduate14,63031.08%
Less Than 9th Grade2,0634.38%
Some College10,88423.13%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Rutherford County, North Carolina Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Rutherford County, North Carolina Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White39,56034,7018,496
Black3,9903,399300
Hispanic1,8951,187462
2+ Races1,6971,510542
Other Race885552145
Asian26819150
Native American1159816
Islander31318

The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among 2+ races people with a rate of 31.94%.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$49,960$67,426$41,204
Graduate Degree$66,836$87,941$56,324
High School Graduate$33,802$40,629$25,765
Less Than 9th Grade$34,880$37,773$19,681
Overall$37,157$44,851$30,436
Some College$32,469$42,791$27,564

$37,157

Average Earnings

$44,851

Average Male

$30,436

Average Female

Rutherford County, North Carolina Earnings by Educational Attainment

Rutherford County, North Carolina Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Rutherford County, North Carolina Language

94.13% of Rutherford County, North Carolina residents speak only English, while 5.87% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 4.5% of the population.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Language

Rutherford County, North Carolina Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White51,8747,74014.92%
Black4,9241,89838.55%
Multiple3,59282623%
Hispanic3,45565819.04%
Other1,58636122.76%
Native1459464.83%
Asian329247.29%
Islander3113.23%

17.6%

Overall Poverty Rate

16.02%

Male Poverty Rate

19.07%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Rutherford County, North Carolina

The race most likely to be in poverty in Rutherford County, North Carolina is Native, with 64.83% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Rutherford County, North Carolina is Islander, with 3.23% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.84%. Among those working part-time, it was 19.76%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 25.28%.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade30.46%
High School19.78%
Some College13.58%
Bachelors or Greater7.81%

Rutherford County, North Carolina Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed28.24%
Male Unemployed23.09%
Female Employed10.76%
Male Employed6.57%

Rutherford County, North Carolina Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Rutherford County, North Carolina Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$61,796$83,206
Households$49,771$69,617
Married Families$74,844$-999,999,999
Non Families$29,137$42,635

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Rutherford County, North Carolina Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

47.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

50.9%

Male Marriage Rate

44.9%

Female Marriage Rate

Rutherford County, North Carolina Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Rutherford County, North Carolina Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Rutherford County, North Carolina Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

4,122

Number of Veterans

3,629

Male Veterans

493

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam1,688
First Gulf War972
Second Gulf War682
Korea157
World War II61

Rutherford County, North Carolina Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
65 to 741,396
75+916
35 to 54809
55 to 64808
18 to 34193

Rutherford County, North Carolina Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White3,6598.34%
Black3107.2%
Hispanic1346.04%
2+ Races1296.26%
Native American1511.81%
Islander929.03%

Rutherford County, North Carolina Veterans by Race

Rutherford County, North Carolina Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.31%

Veteran Poverty Rate

38.87%

Veteran Disability Rate

Rutherford County, North Carolina Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

53.9%

Labor Force Participation

50.9%

Employment Rate

5.5%

Unemployment Rate

Rutherford County, North Carolina Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Rutherford County, North Carolina Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Rutherford County, North Carolina Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

66.26%

Born in Rutherford County, North Carolina

96.78%

Native Born

3.22%

Foreign Born

1.55%

Non Citizen

1.67%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

96.78% of Rutherford County, North Carolina residents were born in the United States, with 66.26% having been born in North Carolina. 1.55% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Rutherford County, North Carolina Place of Birth

Sources